Important healthcare news in the era of HUGE PAYOUTS for hospital management while workers face cutbacks.
Check it . . .
TKC IS THE FIRST KANSAS CITY NEWS-ISH OUTLET TO BREAK NEWS OF A KU NURSE ORGANIZED LABOR REVOLT!!!
Check the presser . . .
NURSES REJECT CONTRACT
Nurses at the University of Kansas Hospital voted decisively today to reject the hospital’s final contract offer, citing management demands that would result in significant cuts in most nurses’ salaries.
The rejected offer also included cuts to nurses’ paid time off and reductions in pay for working nights and weekends. Nurse union leaders said management’s proposed cuts come at a time when the hospital’s patient revenue has grown by leaps and bounds, and its financial outlook is strong.
“As most who are familiar with the hospital’s position in the metro area know, we’re not looking at a hospital that is being forced to cut corners,” said Emily Harvey, President of the Kansas University Nurses Association (KUNA), the union that represents approximately 1,400 RNs and LPNs at the hospital, and who have been bargaining with the hospital since July. “Our members are looking at KU Hospital that is doing better than ever financially, yet question why administration wants to nickel and dime nurses. That’s not the way to attract and keep great nurses. It’s an unworthy stance from a Magnet-designated hospital of this prestige.”
KU Hospital was first awarded the coveted magnet status in 2005 by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The designation, which was renewed in 2011, is an indicator that a hospital promotes excellence in nursing and health care.
“Magnet status is a gold standard for topnotch nursing care,” said Harvey. “Members have questioned our negotiating team about how the KU Hospital Authority can bring down its nurses’ salaries and pay substandard wages for this area, while claiming to be an example for other hospitals. Our patients want and need the best nurses. There is considerable concern among our members that the Hospital Authority’s treatment of its topflight nursing staff as reflected in this contract offer will drive excellent nurses away.”
Harvey said that KUNA’s research shows that the University of Kansas Hospital has been thriving financially, but its nurses’ salaries are lagging behind the standard for this area. She also noted that Standard and Poor’s raised the hospital’s bond rating in 2011, due in part to its strong market presence and sound operating results, and in 2012 affirmed the hospital’s bond rating, citing its continued strong financial performance. Yet, while demand for healthcare professionals is growing in Kansas City, average salaries for nurses at KU Hospital are below the mean for the metro area according to an analysis by KUNA comparing the hospital’s pay levels with area wage data. A 2013 Compdata survey revealed that between 2010 and 2012 total patient revenue has increased 42.4 percent, and total assets have increased 41.4 percent.
Cheryl Shoemaker, a long time KU Hospital nurse and KUNA member, said that nurses would be weighing their options going forward. “One thing is sure. We are motivated as never before to fight for quality jobs for nurses at this hospital. We deserve that—but more importantly, our patients deserve that.”
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Good for them. It's about time that trained professionals stood together.
ReplyDeleteHow many millions did KU pay to be the "official provider" of the Royals, Chiefs and out at the Speedway?
ReplyDeleteKU pays for a fleet of nurses to hand out band aids and water bottles at these games...and then wants to cut wages of those same nurses when they're taking care of hospital patients.
Utter horseshit from Bobby Page and the rest of the executives.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou should see the glossy annual report magazines they print that nobody reads but always say "there's my raise in printing that f-ing report. The thing has to to cost tens of thousands of dollars to print. They aren't losing money in patients, I'll tell you that. Don't think for a second every band-aid or aspirin isn't accounted for and marked up 1000% percent. Totally burdensome management. Could cut them by half and nobody would notice.
ReplyDeleteThe ObamaCare website rollout fiasco, joined by the bait-and-switch “You can keep your current insurance (not)” tempest, obscure the fundamental quandary about so-called health-care in America: that it is a gigantic racket structured to allow countless layers of grift and counter-grift. The end product of all that artifice is that medical care costs twice as much in America as any other civilized country, and that it has to be operated by a cruel and despotic matrix of poorly coordinated bureaucracies that commonly leave people more disabled financially than the diseases that brought them into the system.
ReplyDeleteUltimately the question must be, if you have cancer, a problem with your heart or some other goofy problem, where are you going?
ReplyDeleteSt. Luke's? Not with their recent bail-outs and not since voters slapped their hands on Tuesday.
Or, how about one of the HCA "FOR PROFIT" hospitals? Not when they are putting big bucks in their own pockets instead of upgrading equipment and staff training.
When you need top quality health care, find the closest teaching hospital. I have no doubt the leaders at KU will sort this all out.
EMAW --- I'm not a Jayhawk graduate but, it I'm sick, crimson and blue looks very good to me.
Marvin Pontiac must be new to this area. Does he remember when those clowns in Topeka had to approve the purchase of band-aids and tongue depressors? Under their leadership, the legislature left the hospital just weeks from being broke. The switch in ownership has resulted in a solid financial footing, national recognition and a reputation you can't beat.
ReplyDeleteMarvin, no business can "cut" it's way to success.
Think of what would happen if Bob Page and his team took over running Kansas City, Missouri government!
St Lukes has cut or left unfilled, 1000 positions. This is due to Obamacare and the coming influx of NEW Medicaid patients. Expect every hospital system in the country to look like the Veterans hospital system. Wait all day and maybe see a nurse practitioner. You fucking idiots that voted for this clown should all get asshole cancer.
ReplyDeleteGood. I support them. Nurses are a few of what's left of a middle class. They work the hardest, get paid the least but the rich wants to cut their pay so they can have more. All the while telling the public they are cutting costs. Lets cut administration pay and benefits instead.
ReplyDeleteGet out there and make a picket line. I'll bake you some cookies and bring some posters and paint.
ReplyDeleteLet's remind these administrators what a union town looks like, and protect some middle class motherfucking jobs!
boo ya!
feeelin like howard dean this morning!
The Affordable Care Act will take care of all this trouble. P.S. I am so sorry. signed Barry S.
ReplyDeleteIf the nurses are curious about where their cut of the health care money is going, perhaps a visit with Russy-boy Walsh and Petey-boy Levi over at Polsinelli is in order.
ReplyDeleteWhat did they report pulling in on obamacare in revenues last year? an extra $50 million?
Many nurses I know and have known are ratchet ho's and jello shot drunks after work.
ReplyDeleteA Classic example of a state run university gone wild. Why should the government be competing with private business. Shut the damn thing down. There are plenty who can easily pick up the slack.
ReplyDeleteNurses earn every dollar they make. Pay the nurses and fuck the executives!
ReplyDeleteNurses are under paid and under utilized. You should be able to see a nurse rather than a doctor for general illness. Some of the New England states have nurse/EMT practices to provide the basics of healthcare.
ReplyDeleteKU Hospital and doctors saved my life a few times. They are a great institution. And their nurses deserve everything and more they get.
Give them the raise and have the top suck it up for once.
They are forbidden, by Kansas state law to strike or engage in a work slowdown. That statute pulls the teeth out of the union.
ReplyDeleteBefore nurses got fat and ugly they made good money. If they stop giving hand jobs I'm going straight to the hospice - fuck it!
ReplyDelete4:43AM comment
ReplyDeleteThank you! That was the first thing I thought of, after reading this post.
Given the current realities of the American health care industry, it won't be long until all nurses AND DOCTORS choose to organize. It's the only way they will be able to guarantee a voice in the workplace. The public should support such organizing efforts. Afterall, these are the people actually treating patients. Who do you want to make decisions regarding treatment? You and your nurse/doctor, or some fucking glorified bureaucrat with "MBA" after their name?
ReplyDeleteSome days the commenters here don't have a clue what they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI will say this, if it wasn't for the Burn Center at KU, I would not be here.
Yes, I am a union member. No matter what happens with this contract, KU will still have the best medical professionals and I would never go any where else!
KU paid a fortune to be the official provider of the Royals, Chiefs and the Speedway. The Speedway I can see, it's in Dotte county as is KU. But better orthos are at St. Luke's, and KCMO teams should use KCMO docs, especially since they're the better ones.
ReplyDeleteI think people jump to conclusions and this article appears to be one sided. I say this because I only hear one big mouth Union leader who's job is to appear to be 'working for you' when the reality is the union just wants your money dummies, that's their job, it's a business lol. And to the person that said "this is a union town", your an idiot, it's a right to work town/state. If you don't like where you work or what you get paid, take your rear across the Kansas line and go work in some dung hole (insert name here) . Also, my experience with nurses is all they do anyway is piss and moan, steal each others food, night shift blames day shift and in reverse. Name any two year degree that pays what nursing does, you're freakin overpaid. If you dont like your job, go smack your high school counselor, don't blame your employer, and just quit!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many of you that replied early this am that were on the clock typing and not taking care of your patients .... And you want a raise. Strong work (not)!
ReplyDeleteYou all have forgotten our suite at the Sprint Center which is key to our sports med program. That's right I am drinking and eating on the hospital dime every night of the week. None of you nurses will be invited to my suites. I will be hanging out with my other execs and the Marketing team which is larger than most PR firms in KC. As we get drunk we will figure out our next advertising campaign in which we will spend millions on some actor to tell people to go to KU. That is how most people make their health car choices.
ReplyDeleteBobby Page
doctors treat nurses like shit they deserve all they can get and more
ReplyDeleteI can't even read this because the nurse is so sexualized. What does that have to do with this labor dispute?
ReplyDeleteAll KU Hospital cares about is good Public Relations and having their name in lights at Arrowhead and Sprint. I work there but would hesitate to send a family member there. They do not deserve to be a magnet hospital or on the list of US News and World Report's "best" hospitals. The Residents are overworked and there is daily Medicare fraud with Professors billing for surgeries and work that Residents do.
ReplyDeleteThe real issue is with the state representatives of Kansas because of their decision to NOT expand medicaid. Hospitals get extra money from medicare/medicaid if they are a "Disproportionate Share Hospital" meaning a certain percentage of their patients are medicare/medicaid patients. This money is to offset the costs associated with treating large numbers of uninsured (KU Med spent over 40 million dollars last year treating the uninsured). The 40 million dollars is not the "billed" amount but the true dollar cost to the hospital.
ReplyDeleteSince the percentage of medicare patients will go UP in states that have expanded but remain the same in states that have not, hospitals in the states that do not expand stand to lose a good deal of money since the need for uncompensated care will remain the same or increase but the amount of funds received for being a DSH hospital will decrease (since hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid will now have a higher percent of medicare/medicaid patients).
Furthermore, those same hospitals in states that did not expand will lose out on money saved from the 340B drug pricing program which requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to sell most outpatient drugs at a discounted rate. The loss of the benefits of the drug program alone stands to cost KUMed over 20 million dollars A YEAR the benefactors of this will be hospitals in states that DID expand Medicaid since more of their hospitals will now be covered under this program.
I administrate Joe's Union Review on Facebook and will be sharing your article there. Thank you so much! I am very pleased to have found your site and will be reviewing it regularly, especially since I live between Joplin and Tulsa and am close enough to drive up for things like Nazi counter-protests. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAriana, IBEW lu 584
I am a nurse and have worked at KU Med for 3 years and have had a wonderful experience. So many comments made here are mistaken and are misguiding. You really need to get your facts straight. Unfortunately we are living in times when small sacrifices need to be made. Other hospitals are compromising by laying nurses off. I feel very blessed to be an employee of KU Med.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The nurses that work at the chiefs games are volunteers!
The Nurses at the University of Kansas Hospital work their tails off day in and day out. I currently work as a Nurse Associate at KU Hospital and will be graduating with my RN BSN in May from KU. The Nurse's are incredibly intelligent and skilled in the care of their patients. They don't hesitate to question orders from providers that might negatively impact their patient's health. They are the frontline of patient advocacy in the hospital. Unless you are a Nurse, then you can't imagine some of the sh*t they deal with on a daily basis, literally. It is about time the profession take a stand for what it needs and deserves. Nurses are professionals and should be reimbursed as such. Also, these are not small sacrifices being proposed. The proposed cuts will make a significant impact financially on our Nurses working those hard shifts (evenings, nights, and weekends). Stay strong, Nurses!
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